San Mateo County prepares for any federal policy changes

“With any new administration there’s policy changes throughout and we’re wondering how do we get ahead of those and what are the concerns and how can we work together,” Callagy said.

Overall communication and the available immigration resources within the county largely go hand in hand, and making sure residents are aware of their rights is important, Callagy said. 

“We’ve got to be concerned about people being fearful, the last thing we want is people being fearful to the point where they don’t send their kids to school,” Callagy said. 

The Trump administration announced in an early executive action that places of worship, schools and hospitals were no longer off limits for arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. School districts throughout the county have already reached out to families that they are committed to keeping children safe and won’t cooperate with ICE unless a warrant of court order is issued. 

Although the fear may remain, Callagy said it is the county’s responsibility to keep families as informed as possible and bolstering widespread communication efforts will remain a priority area.

“We just can’t have families scared in this county and suffer because of it, that’s no way to live,” Callagy said. “We want to work with them and have information.” 

The Board of Supervisors’ history of setting aside funding for immigration services, training and legal aid “will certainly continue,” Callagy said. One resource includes the Rapid Response Hotline, (203) 666-4472, that is open 24/7 and can activate legal aid or document immigration enforcement sightings. 

“The board has positioned itself, not only because of the new administration but in general, as a place where we look out for everyone,” Callagy said. 

Funding for emergency preparedness also was identified as an area that might be affected by federal funding given “there doesn’t seem to be a great relationship with Washington and California.” However, Callagy said “we can’t wait and see” on funding and the county is committed to being as prepared as possible to avoid damages. 

“We know the vulnerabilities, whether it’s an earthquake and wildfires that we’ve seen in this county and other places,” he said. “People are really concerned about that and how it will impact our state and our state of readiness.” 

For other matters, such as infrastructure funding to address housing and homelessness, and what funding will look like for health care, the county will likely have to see what happens and adjust accordingly, Callagy said.

“Some of these things we’re going to have to take a back seat at first and others we can be proactive on,” Callagy said. “But, we’ll continue making sure we communicate with the community and really separate fact from fiction.” 

A comprehensive summary of what the county heard in the listening session and immediate ways it can address concerns will be released in coming weeks, Callagy said, and a followup will likely be conducted in six to nine months to see if the areas of concern change. 

“There are a lot of people that are more fearful than in the past,” Callagy said. “We’re a safety net organization. We want to make sure people avail themselves of services that need it.”